If there's already a thread like this just show me where and i'll go with that one. I didn't see one.

I am gathering books or ideas for future books for my new son (for those of you in this section of the forum who don't travel to World's End and so don't know me, he's one month old).

So far i've mostly leaned toward books that i remember enjoying when i was a child, but i'm interested in what else is out there that i didn't know about.

I'm up for anything, any good story. Before it's all over with i want him to read a little of everything: fiction, nonfiction/educational, mythology and folktales from various cultures, tales from various religions, comics, whatever.

In the case of things like myths and folklore, there are tons of different books of each probably, but perhaps you know of a version that's particularly child-friendly without dumbing it down or editing too much, or perhaps is just plain good.

Whatcha got?

At about 14 months old, Dev's favourite book was Dr Seuss's Alphabet. He would open to the H page, point at it and say "aitch" and then at several other letters and they were H as well

Sandra Boynton's numerous baby books are funny, silly and very fun to read, even for an adult. She also has a fabulous book/CD thingy called Philadelphia Chickens. It's great.

I tried reading several books to him over the past year. He wanted me to read him Harry Potter and I tried, but I can't even stand that book anymore.

I read him the Tiffany Aching/Discworld books and he loved those, but I tried Amazing Maurice - nuthin. He also fidgeted during the Narnia stories. We're reading The Hobbit at the mo.

(because Neil mentioned it in his blog) I'm thinking of trying Norse mythology next, and Neil recommended a certain version, which my library has, so that'll be next-ish.

Oh and he loved Coraline. And he's currently 7 1/2.

For babies - coulourful, hard cardboard books. And expect them to get chewed. Poetry/rhyming stuff is good too.

Great start! Thank you!

The Very Hungry Catapillar! You can't NOT have that! You just want to eat the pictures up!

Peepo!- Janet and Allan Ahlberg
Best. Book. Ever. I joke you not. I don't know if you get the Ahlbergs over there, but get it! Acutally if you PM me your address I might get it for you! I feel that strongly!

Also by the same people: Each Peach Pear Plum, which rhymes! "Each Peach Pear Plum, I spy Tom Thumb! Tom Thumb in the cupboard, I spy Mother Hubbard! Mother Hubbard on the stairs, I spy the three bears! ... Three bears out hunting *they* spy Baby Bunting! Baby Bunting warm and dry, I spy plum pie! Plum pie in the sun, I spy... EVERYONE!" Shall we say it made an impact? Seriously, PM me - I'm not kidding!


The Alfie books by Shirley Hughes. They are a perfect childs-eye-view of the world, and just beautiful! And also by her, the unforgettable Dogger, about a boy who loses his toy.

The above can work for babies to early school, I'd say. I mean, if they stay un-crayoned that long!

Bill's New Frock - Anne Fine.
(for age 6+, I'd say. Not scary or anything, just a bit harder to read.)
It's aces! And really interesting - Bill's mum sends him to school one day in a dress, and everyone treats him as if he's a girl - good introduction into the socialisation of gender But really, it's fun too!

i know the Caterpillar book but hadn't heard of the others. I will look for them!

KNUFFLE BUNNY!

YOU MISSED BITS, DOMI!

it's:

each peach pear plum, i spy tom thumb
tom thumb in the cupboard, i spy mother hubbard
mother hubbard in the cellar, i spy cinderella
cinderella on the stairs, i spy the three bears
three bears out hunting, i spy baby bunting
baby bunting fast asleep, i spy bo peep
bo peep on a hill, i spy jack and jill
jack and jill in a ditch, i spy the wicked witch
wicked witch over the wood, i spy robin hood
robin hood in his den, i spy the bears again
three bears still hunting, THEY spy baby bunting
baby bunting safe and dry, i spy plum pie
plum pie in the sun, i spy EVERYONE!

and yes, it made a huge impact on me too. clearly.

The Harry Potter series is good, if a bit overrated.

The House of the Scorpion, the last kid's book I read was better than the last adult book (not counting shory collections) I read (Ticktock by Dean Koontz). The last line (just that line) is incredibly sappy, but the rest more than makes up for it.

all these new ones that i didn't know of before sound great - this is what i was hoping for!

(no worries, Domi, i found the books you mentioned!)

harry potter is good? nuh uh.

jar jar binks is cool? also nuh uh.

i don't recommend the harry potter books for kids, because they're so simply (and badly) written that they lead children into a false sense of security about how books work: complex issues wrapped up in the simplest possible words = a belief that this will be how it works in every book = a swift disillusionment the first time they come across anything different i.e. most other books aimed at that age group.

there's an incongruousness about the issues and the language that bothers me.

I'll second Sanrda Boynton. The Going to Bed Book, especially.

At a couple months old, my daughter loved the touch and feel books. There was one for kittens that we couldn't read enough to her. Also, this tag book. Neither are much in the way of stories, but for her at that age, it was pretty much all about sensory.

quote:

Originally posted by Limertilly:
jar jar binks is cool? also nuh uh.

My sig is more of a joke than anything, but I can see how people could be offended. Sorry I broke your post out of orginal order, but that seemed least connected to my post, and I wanted to get it out of the way.

quote:

harry potter is good? nuh uh.

If you ask me, it had its bad parts, and it was definitely flawed, but overall I found it very entertaining.

quote:

i don't recommend the harry potter books for kids, because they're so simply (and badly) written that they lead children into a false sense of security about how books work: complex issues wrapped up in the simplest possible words = a belief that this will be how it works in every book = a swift disillusionment the first time they come across anything different i.e. most other books aimed at that age group.

there's an incongruousness about the issues and the language that bothers me.

Harry Potter is quite a simple story I'll say, and it's told in an extremely simple prose. It had its moments of boredom: the fifth book was both unsatisfying, and extremely boring, and the seventh was also a dragging read. Anyways, I'll let any child who reads it decide for themselves wether or not the series sets a proper example for a novel. All I'm saying is that I didn't feel like I'd completely wasted my time after reading it. After all, they're really quick reads for me.

Hehe. I liked HP.
For me, that's usually reason enough to recommend a book. But we're talking about a one year old kid, here.

I think Grimm's fairy tales, in the original non-Disneyfied version are a must, the more gruesome the better. But I know some people disagree.

Anything by Maurice Sendak is good.

i actually have never read the Harry Potter books myself. Perhaps one day i will, or when the kid is older he might decide he wants to himself.

quote:

Originally posted by The Scoundrel:
At a couple months old, my daughter loved the touch and feel books. There was one for kittens that we couldn't read enough to her. Also, this tag book. Neither are much in the way of stories, but for her at that age, it was pretty much all about sensory.

ooh, i hadn't seen those "tag" books before. Noted!

quote:

Originally posted by Babylon the Bride:

I think Grimm's fairy tales, in the original non-Disneyfied version are a must, the more gruesome the better. But I know some people disagree.

Anything by Maurice Sendak is good.

agreed, and agreed!

(anyone know of a version of said fairy tales that they'd recommend?)

truthfully

i guess it doesn't really matter much but i think i'd start off with the safe ones and move onto the 'real' ones when you feel she's ready for a new version - its good to hear different versions of things and i don't think the 'safe' ones are bad for children...although there are levels of safe. the wolf is allowed to eat grandma, and in the rhyme of the woman who swallowed the fly, the line should be 'perhaps she'll die' not the safe...'oh me oh my!'

there was an old woman who swallowed a fly...

i think there should be some nursery rhymes - i'd just pick up one with nice illustrations from a cheap book store.

in the UK we have ladybird books - they are good

ladybird books

as baby gets older you have to have...

as many books as you can by AA Milne, the pooh bear stories and also the poems.

and alice in wonderland and through the looking glass.

and rudyard kipling's just so stories, best beloved ,are wonderful to read out loud...and his jungle books. i know a lot of people don't like him, but i adore his style of writing, it aches to be read out loud.

Oh! Winnie the Pooh! Dev used to love it when I read those stories to him. That was erm.... after the Curious George era, Dev was about 3 to 4 for Curious George and then Pooh.

But for babies... I second The Scoundrel - touch books are amazing for babies, bright colours, different textures. And at that age it really doesn't matter what you read to them, it just has to be in the right voice. Also, when they get a bit older, start showing them the words as you're reading them. It may not be true, but I think it helps for them to see the word as you're reading it.

And be prepared to read them the same smeggin book, over and over again. When Dev was about 18-20 months old he would drag that Dr Seuss Alphabet book from me to hubby to my dad and then back to me.

quote:

Originally posted by Maeve:

And be prepared to read them the same smeggin book, over and over again. When Dev was about 18-20 months old he would drag that Dr Seuss Alphabet book from me to hubby to my dad and then back to me.

and that isn't likely to end quickly.

i remember annoying people into reading me this book...pen and gwen are going fishing...du du da da can't remember the words anymore....

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.

quote:

Originally posted by Smaug:


as many books as you can by AA Milne, the pooh bear stories and also the poems.

and alice in wonderland and through the looking glass.

and rudyard kipling's just so stories, best beloved ,are wonderful to read out loud...and his jungle books. i know a lot of people don't like him, but i adore his style of writing, it aches to be read out loud.

all great suggestions, and books that i have long loved!

i already have him a book of the song-poems from Winnie the Pooh - they're perfect for reading aloud. And i have my own copies of the Alice books and those two Kipling books that we can read later.

quote:

Originally posted by meanoldwoman:
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.

that one looks amusing!

quote:

and in the rhyme of the woman who swallowed the fly, the line should be 'perhaps she'll die' not the safe...'oh me oh my!'

there was an old woman who swallowed a fly...

Please PLEASE teach this one! I had to teach it to Wanderer and I thought it was sad that he had never heard it before.

Get the Serendipity books if you can find them. My sisters fondly remember me buying Leo the Lop for them.

AND I don't know if there is an updated version but I LOVED the Childcraft encyclopedia books as a child. I still know things because of them.

Also - don't be afraid to let kids get ahead of where you think they are... I read Little Women at six. Sometimes things can draw you in. Give a little freedom.

ETA: Also, The sesame street book There's a Monster at the End of this Book.

And, LOTS of Shel Silverstein - especially The Giving Tree and Where the Sidewalk Ends.